Measuring economic indicators attributable to Indigenous peoples

The diversity of the population and workforce contributes to the economy in Canada. Yet macroeconomic indicators such as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are not developed to highlight the participation of different socio-economic or demographic groups in the economy.

Disaggregating economic indicators to better understand the participation of various groups in the economy in Canada can be a challenging task. It requires a re-examination of how the economy is usually thought of and measured. In other words, to understand the impact that each group has on the economy, one must not focus on the contribution of an industry, but rather on the contribution of individuals with similar demographic characteristics.

While it is possible to find labour or population estimates about most segments of the population, there are few macroeconomic indicators available at the same level of detail. The recent publication Indigenous Peoples Economic Account: Methodology and Preliminary Results served as a pilot project, as Statistics Canada has for the first time released macroeconomic estimates for a specific demographic -  namely, the Indigenous peoples in Canada.

By shining a light on the economic statistics related to Indigenous peoples, the preliminary Indigenous Peoples Economic Account (IPEA) could help recognize, understand, and resolve data gaps in statistics pertaining to Indigenous peoples. This could also draw attention to the need for additional data related to Indigenous peoples in order to measure their economic participation through a different lens.

Preliminary national results

In 2020, GDP attributable to the paid labour of Indigenous peoples and Indigenous-owned businesses in Canada was $48.9 billion. Every year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this indicator experienced growth, from $41.7 billion in 2012 to $54.1 billion in 2019. In 2020, the pandemic caused a 9.5% decline in GDP values. Output attributable to the paid labour of Indigenous peoples and Indigenous-owned businesses and total jobs held by Indigenous peoples experienced a similar trend, namely, a continuous growth up to 2019 and a decline of about 9% in 2020. Nevertheless, from 2012 to 2020, all three indicators showed growth.

The total number of jobs held by Indigenous peoples followed a relatively consistent pattern to that of GDP. Overall, from 2012 to 2020 the number of jobs grew. During that period, that number grew every year with the exception of 2020 when a 10.6% decrease was observed. The largest decrease in 2020 was observed in the accommodation and food services industry (-21.1%). While all industries declined in 2020, the public administration industry remained relatively stable with 124,865 jobs, a 4.0% decline from 2019. When the jobs held in this industry are combined with those in health care and social assistance, retail trade, and construction, they account for roughly half of the jobs held by Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Based on the early results obtained, it is possible to see that from 2012 to 2020, at the Canada level, there was growth in all measured economic indicators attributable to the labour income of Indigenous peoples and the businesses owned by Indigenous peoples. For the three main indicators measured, yearly growth was observed with the exception of 2020, mainly because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.  All provinces and territories also saw their main economic indicators increase during the 2012 to 2020 period.

You can find more information about the IPEA, including how to provide feedback on the data tables and full paper.